Chris Lambrecht, author of the upcoming book ‘Living Among Friends, A Boomer’s Guide to Housing Options,’ talks with friend Marianne Kilkenny at a coffee shop off Johnson Ferry Road. Kilkenny is an expert on shared homes and author of the book ‘Your Quest for Home: A Guidebook to Find the Ideal Community for Your Later Years.’Special to the MDJ/ Chris Lambrecht

MARIETTA — If the predictions by a former east Cobb resident and new author hold true, Cobb neighborhoods could soon be dotted with residences shared by retirees in what market analysts are calling “Golden Girls homes.”

Chris Lambrecht, 65, author of the upcoming book “Living Among Friends, A Boomer’s Guide to Housing Options,” said older people on fixed incomes want to live with other seniors to share expenses.

But, according to the Cobb County code, no more than two unrelated adults can live together in a single-family residence.

The Cobb Commissioners unanimously voted Feb. 25 to loosen the code by allowing a family to legally move in one unrelated adult, such as a nanny, caretaker or college student.

“I believe that Tim Lee and the commission are senior friendly,” said Lambrecht, who acted as a campaign manager for Larry Savage in a race against Lee for chairman. “At some point in time, I plan to approach them to change the current code to allow this type of shared living for folks over the age of 50.”

Lambrecht said older neighbors are conscientious, with limited late-night vehicle traffic and guests. In fact, he predicts many Baby Boomers in Cobb are already breaking the code, without causing a concern.

“These are not boarding houses,” Lambrecht said.

A Golden Girls home would be preferable to neighbors over an older couple taking in their adult children and grandchildren to spread the family’s income, which would be allowed by the current code, Lambrecht said.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who represents the northwest corner of Cobb in District 3, said she has not heard much about the trend and most land-use applicants brought before the board involve families renting a room to a Kennesaw State University student.

Birrell said she is interested in seeing if there would be any opposition from a neighborhood if signs are posted in a yard about a public hearing for a Golden Girls home. The community consensus could be positive because of the low impact on neighborhoods, she said.

“I could see how these cases could be different,” Birrell said.

A process of change in Cobb

Commissioner Bob Ott also said he had not heard about the Golden Girls housing trend and is not opposed to the idea.

“We just haven’t seen it yet,” Ott said.

But any change to the county code would be a result of a “real life scenario” needing to be addressed, such as the causes for the most recent adjustment passed in late February.

The Golden Girls housing trend might be embraced in his east Cobb district, Ott said. This includes his subdivision, Terrell Mill Estates, where Ott said a third of the 200 houses are occupied by widows living on pensions.

Yet, if the code opens up the number of unrelated adults allowed to cohabitate, the change would apply county-wide, leading to “fraternity houses” near KSU, Ott said.

“(The decision) is more than just the number of people in a house,” Ott said.

Lambrecht said it is hard enough to find the right property and align a group of compatible roommates, let alone attend two public hearings to get case-by-case approval from the county.

“There is so much to picking the right person to ‘age in place’ with,” Lambrecht said.

This process would also mean sharing one’s financial or personal information with the public, and, Lambrecht said, fighting against the stigma of two adult men living together.

Lambrecht said the number of acceptable occupants of a home should be based on the amount of square footage in a residential property.

“I love Cobb County, but sometimes I read stories about the occupancy code and find them way behind the times,” said Lambrecht, who feels Cobb is stuck in a mentality of strict single-family living.

A growing national trend

In December, Lambrecht started writing his book, outlining options for seniors wanting to downsize, and he is at least six months away from finishing.

Originally from Ohio, Lambrecht moved to Georgia in 1983 and lived in east Cobb until last year.

“I’d personally like to spend the rest of my life in east Cobb,” Lambrecht said.

Although Cobb’s property tax laws are “favorable,” Lambrecht doubts he could purchase a property by himself.

Lambrecht, who has worked for years as a business-to-business consultant, said the market trend is about “older people” coming together to age “in place” and “in community.”

“It’s inevitable. It’s coming,” Lambrecht said.

Before the economy took a downward turn, the trend was families building large homes and constantly upsizing through life.

If this is something to be considered, then the commissioners should also consider having them pay all (or some) of the school tax seniors are exempted from currently. Cobb County schools are running deficits annually and are increasing class sizes annually. Adjacent counties, who tax all their residents, are passing us by academically.

I think it's a GREAT idea, if the ordinance is carefully written to define who is eligible, and age restrictions would definitely be part of that. An age restriction would address the concerns about off-campus frat and sorority houses as well. (I don't personally know any 60 year old 'Frat Boys, although I know some 60 year olds who ACT like Frat Boys. :o) I'd guess there are many retirees living on limited incomes that would benefit greatly from an arrangement like this if they could find compatible housemates. I'd like to see the idea given serious and thoughtful consideration.

This so called "Golden Girls" fantasy is just an attempt by some homeowners to allow groups of students to live in a single family home. If there were a real need the commissioners would have requests for variances and that is not happened. Don't open up the door to party frat houses by buying into some writers fantasy of four elderly women(tramps) living together.

Only on TV--your world is clearly clouded by the TV view of the world. You need to get out and get engaged--as the world is passing you by, which may be exactly what you'd like it to do while you enjoy life in the easy chair. Just don't try to impose your self-centered life on those who don't have the pleasure/desire to live such a sheltered existence in isolation!

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